The replacement of damaged or diseased tissues or organs by implantation has been, and continues to be, a long-standing goal of medicine towards which tremendous progress has been made. In addition, much progress has also been made in the field of treating patients with medical conditions through the implantation of therapeutic medical devices, such as glucose sensors and pacemakers. However, one of the most serious problems restricting the use of implants is the wound healing response elicited by implanted foreign materials (Ratner, B. D., “Reducing capsular thickness and enhancing angiogenesis around implant drug release systems” Journal of Controlled Release 78:211-218 (2002)).
Biocompatibility is defined as the appropriate response of the host to a foreign material used for its intended application. Biocompatibility further refers to the interaction between the foreign material and the tissues and physiological systems of the patient treated with the foreign material. Protein binding and subsequent denaturation as well as cell adhesion and activation have been invoked as determinants of a material's biocompatibility. Biocompatibility also implies that the implant avoids detrimental effects from the host's various protective systems and remains functional for a significant period of time. With respect to medical devices, biocompatibility is determined to a large extent by the type of acute reaction provoked by implantation. The extent to which a medical device is integrated with the surrounding tissue depends upon the type of wound healing response that is evoked by the implanted material. In vitro tests designed to assess cytotoxicity or protein binding are routinely used for the measurement of a material's potential biocompatibility. In other words, the biocompatibility of a material is dependent upon its ability to be fully integrated with the surrounding tissue following implantation.
The modulation of this tissue response to an implanted medical device comprised of a foreign material is pivotal to successful implantation and performance of such medical devices. Mammalian systems recognize foreign materials, such as surgically implanted objects or medical devices. Upon binding to sites on these foreign materials, a cascade of events occur that notify inflammatory cells to surround such materials and initiate a series of wound healing events which ultimately lead to the formation of an avascular fibrous capsule surrounding the implanted device. The formation of an avascular fibrous capsule can severely limit the life and usefulness of the implanted medical device, especially in situations where direct contact with specific tissue, such as vascular tissue, muscle tissue, or nerve tissue is vital to the effectiveness of the device.
Previous research has shown that the specific interactions between cells and their surrounding extracellular matrix play an important role in the promotion and regulation of cellular repair and replacement processes (Hynes, S. O., “Integrins: a family of cell surface receptors” Cell 48:549-554 (1987)). Consequently, there has been a heightened interest in work related to biocompatible polymers useful in therapeutic applications. One particular class of polymers that have proven useful for such applications, including contact lens materials, artificial tendons, matrices for tissue engineering, and drug delivery systems, is hydrogels (Wheeler J C, Woods J A, Cox M J, Cantrell R W, Watkins F H, Edlich R F.; Evolution of hydrogel polymers as contact lenses, surface coatings, dressings, and drug delivery systems.; J Long Term Eff Med Implants. 1996;6(3-4):207-17 and Schacht, E., “Hydrogels prepared by crosslinking of gelatin with dextran dialdehyde” Reactive & Functional Polymers 33:109-116 (1997)). Hydrogels are commonly accepted to be materials consisting of a permanent, three-dimensional network of hydrophilic polymers with water filling the space between the polymer chains, and they may be obtained by copolymerizing suitable hydrophilic monomers, by chain extension, and by cross-linking hydrophilic pre-polymers or polymers.
Prior work has shown that a thermoreversible hydrogel matrix, which is liquid near physiologic temperatures, elicits vasculogenesis and modulates wound healing in dermal ulcers (Usala A L, Dudek R, Lacy S, Olson J, Penland S, Sutton J, Ziats N P, Hill R S: Induction of fetal-like wound repair mechanisms in vivo with a novel matrix scaffolding. Diabetes 50 (Supplement 2): A488 (2001); and Usala A L, Klann R, Bradfield J, Ray S, Hill R S, De La Sierra D, Usala M, Metzger M, Olson G: Rapid Induction of vasculogenesis and wound healing using a novel injectable connective tissue matrix. Diabetes 49 (Supplement 1): A395 (2000)). This bioactive hydrogel material has also been shown to improve the healing in response to implanted foreign materials; demonstrating a decrease in the surrounding fibrous capsule thickness and a persistent increase in blood supply immediately adjacent to implanted materials exposed to this thermoreversible hydrogel (Ravin A G, Olbrich K C, Levin L S, Usala A L, Klitzman B.; Long- and short-term effects of biological hydrogels on capsule microvascular density around implants in rats. J Biomed Mater Res. May 1, 2001;58(3):313-8.). However the use of such a bioactive thermoreversible hydrogel as a biomaterial coating for a medical device is not practical for devices requiring three-dimensional or thermal stability. Accordingly, there is a need for a bioactive material that is stable at body temperatures and thus appropriate for use as a coating for use with medical devices, particularly those intended for implantation into mammals.